Sophomore slump? Why Fangio doesn’t foresee one for Reid

That is, success hasn’t swelled the former first-round pick’s head after a stellar rookie season made possible by a blend of talent and intangibles.

The topic came up today during a lengthy sit-down interview with 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio (for a feature story this summer).

In detailing his career, Fangio, who is in his 30th season in professional football, said two players he’s coached, late linebacker Sam Mills and 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, became great because they always approached the game as if they were on the roster bubble.

In other words, they combined awesome talent with an overachiever mentality.

Asked if any other players who fit that description came to mind, the 49ers’ 22-year-old safety was among those Fangio mentioned.

“Eric Reid could be that way,” he said. “Now, I don’t want to put that tag on him because he’s a second-year guy, but he’s still the same guy today that he was last year at the same time. He just knows more and can ask more intelligent questions. But I would bet that he’s that way in year 7 and 8, too.

Last year, Reid made a near-seamless transition to the NFL. He started 16 games, ranked third on the team in tackles (77), second in interceptions (4) and went to the Pro Bowl as an alternate.

Reid’s success was partly fueled by his approach. The day after he was drafted, the high-school student with a 4.6 GPA was studying his new playbook while being driven back to the airport. And during his first offseason workout program he met safety Donte Whitner for 6:30 a.m. workout sessions before officially starting a 12-hour day at the facility.

So, it’s good news for the 49ers that Reid, early in his second season, is still acting as if he’s desperate to stay on the roster. The bad news? Fangio also mentioned Whitner as a player who channeled Mills and Willis. Whitner, who signed with the Browns in March, will be replaced by Antoine Bethea this season.

“Donte came to work every day in meetings,” Fangio said. “He asked me a million questions. Good questions. We’d have good conversations. And he would learn a lot through those conversations.”

********************************************************************

Fangio coached Mills, a five-time Pro Bowler who died of cancer in 2005, for 14 seasons, with the USFL’s Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars, Saints and Panthers. At 5-foot-9, Mills lacked height and an impressive pedigree (undrafted out of Montclair State), but didn’t lack for natural ability, Fangio said.

“He combined his talent with an overachiever mentality and a way of going about things that made him great,” he said. “I think Willis here is a lot like Sam. Pat is obviously very talented. His talent is more obvious than Sam’s was. But Pat has the mindset of an overachiever in the way he approaches his job. Pat’s one of the greatest great players/people that I’ve been around.”